Senate Confirms 107 Trump Nominees; Backlog Two Dozen

Senate Republicans used a recent rules change to confirm an en bloc package of roughly 107–108 of President Trump’s nominees in a party-line vote, with reported margins of 51–47 or 50–47. The move — the second mass confirmation since Republicans invoked the so‑called 'nuclear option' last month — included more than two dozen ambassadors (notably Herschel Walker to the Bahamas and Sergio Gor to India), over a dozen U.S. attorneys, senior sub‑cabinet officials and reappointments such as SEC chair Paul Atkins. The new en‑bloc simple‑majority procedure applies only to sub‑cabinet executive nominees, leaving judicial and other higher‑profile nominees still pending. Republicans said the change was needed to overcome what they called a Democratic blockade that had frozen confirmations; Democrats said the maneuver circumvents longstanding Senate norms. The package reduced the confirmation backlog to about two dozen remaining nominees while the government remains shut down. Reports varied slightly on the exact tally and timing across outlets, and the move sets a precedent for faster confirmations going forward.